Apologizing for the Past
by Kristen3
Summary: While in Afghanistan, Simon sees a surprising picture of Joy on Facebook. It leads him to make a phone call that reminds him of the family he's left behind. One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Before the series finale aired, I was totally Team Simon. I wanted them to end up together b/c I thought it was the perfect happy ending for Joy. But Bob has grown on me, so I'm OK with it now. I did, however, think there could still be a story, so here it is. ;)

Simon sighed. Finally, a free moment. Being a reporter in Afghanistan was exciting, but it didn't give him much time to keep in touch with his loved ones. Especially Owen, and little Wilbur. Thanks to Facebook, he could at least see pictures and post the occasional comment.

He took out his phone, and waited for Facebook to load. He ignored most of the updates, but one notification caught his eye. "Joy Scroggs added a photo." Simon smiled, thinking of the grandson he missed terribly. He'd missed seeing Owen grow up, and now the same thing was happening with Wilbur. All Simon could hope was that, someday, Wilbur would understand what he was doing, how he was trying to make a difference in the world. He clicked on the link, anxious to see Joy's latest picture. He smiled at the sight of her. Things hadn't worked out for them in the end, but Joy was still beautiful. Nothing could change that.

 _She's even more beautiful when she's holding a baby_ , Simon thought, smiling as he looked at the photo. "Wait, that's not Wilbur!" Simon said aloud, as he realized the infant in Joy's arms was much too small to be his grandson. Then he read the caption. "Finally married, and with a baby, too! I couldn't be happier!"

Simon had to sit down as the shock hit him. Joy was married?! He knew she'd chosen Bob over him, so the marriage shouldn't really be that big of a surprise. But a baby? How had that happened? He began to type a comment, then realized this wasn't something they could really discuss over the Internet. He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing he could be back in the States, to see her in person. Since that wasn't possible, he'd have to settle for a phone call.

He gave no thought to the time difference as he dialed. This couldn't wait.

Joy had just put Betty to sleep. Bob was on stakeout, so the house was perfectly quiet at the moment. Until the phone rang. She knew Melanie and Tom were likely in bed, as were Elka and Bob's father. The number on Caller ID wasn't one she recognized. "Hello?"

"Hello, Joy. Long time, no talk." Simon laughed nervously.

"Simon?" Joy could hardly believe the voice on the other end of the phone. "Where are you? Is everything all right?" In all of her excitement over the baby, she'd temporarily forgotten that Simon was in the Middle East. Suddenly, she held her breath, hoping he wasn't calling with bad news.

"Everything's fine. I'm in Afghanistan. Don't worry about me. I just had a chance to go on Facebook."

Joy breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he was safe. "Did you see my picture?" Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer was yes. Why else would he be calling her now?

"You've got a baby?" Simon blurted out. He'd meant to be a bit more delicate, but he was still in shock.

"Yes. These last few weeks have been a blur. Bob and I had a few mishaps on the way to our wedding. Even though everything was a little crazy, I wouldn't change a thing. We got the most beautiful baby."

From thousands of miles away, Simon could tell that she was smiling. "Well, I'm happy for you. I'm sure you're an amazing mum."

"Well, I don't know how 'amazing' I am, but I love my daughter so much. We named her Elizabeth. We're calling her Betty for short."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you got a second chance, Joy. I'm sorry the first one didn't work out."

"Please don't beat yourself up over what happened between us. We were teenagers. Neither of us was ready to have a child."

"I know. But I can't help thinking that if things had worked out for us, you wouldn't have had to wait until now to have a family."

"It's all right, Simon. I've been thinking a lot about everything that's happened since I moved to Cleveland. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I've learned so much."

Simon thought back to when he first saw Joy. Right away, he knew she was special. But clearly, she wasn't the same person anymore. Neither was he. "Well, I'm happy for you," he said, when he realized the silence had gotten a bit too long.

"Thanks," Joy said. "One of the things I've learned lately is that things don't always go according to plan. But they usually work out in the end."

"It certainly seems that way. But what about Owen and Wilbur? Have you told them the news?"

"Well, Owen's been kind of busy lately, but I called him. He can't believe he has a sister. And I think Wilbur's a bit confused that he has an aunt who's just a baby." Joy laughed. Her family tree was certainly complicated. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that everyone was happy now. "Owen and Wilbur are going to come for a visit as soon as they can."

"I'm going to try to come home as soon as possible too," Simon said. He'd been wanting to get back to the US for some time now, but suddenly, he felt he couldn't get there fast enough. "I'd like to meet the little one, if that's all right with you."

Joy couldn't help feeling surprised. Simon actually wanted to meet her daughter? She wasn't sure what Bob would say to that. But she would explain to him that she and Simon were over each other. The only connection they now shared was through Owen. "I think that would be lovely. I know they miss you."

"I miss them both like crazy too. You know, if you and I hadn't reconnected, I wouldn't even know Owen now. Or Wilbur."

"That's true. I'm glad we got to see each other. Even though things didn't work out for us, you're still family."

"That's so nice to hear, when I'm so far away." Simon realized he couldn't talk for much longer. He had important work to do.

"Well, I'll let you know as soon as I hear from Owen. I think a family reunion is overdue."

"It sure is. Take good care of that baby, all right? She's lucky to have you for a mum."

"Oh, I will take care of her. You can count on that!"

Simon almost didn't want to hang up. But after a few more moments of small talk, he finally did. It was strange to think that one post on his newsfeed seemed to have changed so much. His work was here, but a very large part of his heart was in Cleveland.

For a split second, he wished he could go back in time, and do things differently. But that was ridiculous. All he could do was be thankful for what he had. A son and a grandson. And a woman he knew he'd never forget, even if she was married and had a family. He couldn't wait to see her again.

 **The End**


End file.
